A sailor scans a radar screen as the USS Ronald Reagan arrives at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. (Frank Speciale/U.S. Navy)
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (Tribune News Service) — Saab Inc. says it will add new jobs and continue expanding its North American headquarters in East Syracuse after winning a U.S. Navy radar contract worth up to $104.8 million over the next decade.
The Navy chose the U.S. unit of the Swedish defense and aerospace firm to produce its MK-9 tracker illuminator systems, ship-based radars used to guide missiles to their targets.
The initial two-year, $32.2 million contract is for development and production of radars due to be delivered by August 2023, the Navy said.
If all contract options are exercised, the cumulative value of the deal would be $104.8 million, with deliveries continuing through March 2030, the Navy said.
“This is a new line of business for us in Syracuse that will require significant job growth, both in engineering and manufacturing disciplines,” said Erik Smith, president and CEO of Saab, Inc.
A Saab spokesperson said it’s too early to specify how many new jobs will be created by the contract.
Saab employs about 674 people in the United States, with most of the positions based at Saab’s North American headquarters in East Syracuse.
As of this week, Saab employs 506 people in East Syracuse and is hiring to fill more than 25 open positions in engineering, finance, customer service, information technology and manufacturing production, said Chelsea Bishop, speaking for the company.
Saab declined to disclose the salary range for the open positions.
The Navy contract is the latest in a series of new business deals for Saab’s East Syracuse operations.
In April, Saab said it would add 50 new jobs in Central New York after the Navy selected the company to upgrade its littoral combat ships – a new fleet of small, fast, and stealthy ships built to operate in shallow, coastal waters.
Saab moved its U.S. defense division headquarters from the Washington, D.C., suburbs to East Syracuse in 2018, promising to invest $55 million locally and to bring 260 new high-tech jobs to the region.
In April, the company won a $128 million Marine Corps contract for a next-generation training instrumentation system. Commanders will use the system to observe and assess the performance of individual Marines, squads and brigades during live training exercises.
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